Free the Refugees Detained in Libya and Protect Semira’s Daughter
Il problema
Free the Refugees Detained in Libya and Protect Semira’s Daughter
To UNHCR, the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union NGO and civil society , governments with the power to provide protection and safe humanitarian pathways:
Refugees flee their homes in search of freedom and safety. Eritreans have escaped persecution, indefinite military conscription, and insecurity. Some sought refuge in Sudan, only to be forced to flee again because of war.
Today, many are trapped in Libya.
Instead of finding lasting protection, refugees and asylum seekers both registered with UNHCR and unregistered continue to face detention, violence, uncertainty, and increasingly hostile conditions.
Registration should not become a waiting room without safety.
Being registered does not necessarily mean immediate safety, freedom from detention, or a timely pathway out of Libya. Meanwhile, unregistered refugees may face even greater barriers to protection because they cannot safely access registration or humanitarian services.
Filmon's Story
Filmon was only 18 years old. He fled Eritrea hoping to find safety and a future. Instead, according to a recent report and testimony from fellow detainees, he died while detained at Ganfuda, near Benghazi in eastern Libya.
Filmon reportedly became seriously ill with tuberculosis and did not receive the medical care he desperately needed.He died in detention.
There are approximately 6,000 people in Bingasi. Since we are in closer contact with the Eritrean community, we know that around 1,200 people were involved. On August 18, they asked to receive food and medical care, but the police responded with gunfire. Many people were injured.
We have videos documenting what happened, but we are currently unable to show them. After the shooting, the injured people did not receive any medical treatment.
In Tajoura, there are approximately 7,000 people, most of them Eritreans. The majority were either arrested during raids or intercepted at sea. Very little information is coming out of Tajoura, but people who have spoken to us have reported that there are many deaths and injuries.
Libya Is Not a Safe Place to Wait Indefinitely
refugees face danger both inside and outside detention centres.
Recent anti-migrant rhetoric and public protests have increased tensions and fear as the UNHCR office was blocked by Libyan protesters who were demonstrating against migrants.
They are trapped between two dangers:
If they remain, they may face detention, violence, exploitation, and insecurity.
And when refugees attempting to escape are intercepted and returned to Libya, many are brought back to the same dangers they were desperately trying to escape.
Libya must not become a prison with no exit.
Preventing people from reaching Europe cannot be the only objective. Saving lives and providing genuine protection must matter too.
We Demand Freedom and Meaningful Protection
We urgently call on the international community to:
Work toward the urgent release of refugees and asylum seekers held in arbitrary and prolonged detention.
Ensure meaningful protection for both registered and unregistered.
Provide humanitarian organizations access to detainees and ensure urgent food, water, medical care, and protection.
Prioritize women, children, unaccompanied minors, survivors of violence, and people with urgent medical needs.
Expand emergency evacuation, resettlement, family reunification, and other safe pathways outside Libya.
Protection must mean more than a registration number.
It must mean safety, freedom, and a genuine path toward a future.
Protect Semira's Daughter
On August 3, 2026, an Eritrean mother named Semira reportedly lost her life at sea while trying to reach safety with her daughter.
Semira had fled Eritrea and later sought refuge in Sudan. When war made Sudan unsafe, she was forced to flee again.
According to the information available to us, Semira was later detained in Libya and eventually registered with UNHCR together with her daughter. Yet registration did not provide them with a timely path to lasting safety.
Unable to find a safe way out, Semira continued to face danger.
During her final attempt to leave Libya by sea, her daughter survived. Semira did not.
Today, her daughter remains without her mother in Libya. Her mother died searching for safety. Her daughter must not be left behind.
This child has already lost her mother. She must not be left alone, unprotected, or trapped in the same danger her mother was trying to escape.
We urgently call for:
The immediate identification and protection of Semira's daughter.
Safe accommodation, appropriate care, and legal guardianship.
Protection from detention, exploitation, and further harm.
An urgent humanitarian transfer to a safe environment outside Libya, in accordance with her best interests.
OUR DEMANDS ARE CLEAR
FREE MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES DETAINED IN LIBYA.
PROTECT ALL MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES.
PROVIDE SAFE AND URGENT HUMANITARIAN PATHWAYS OUT OF LIBYA.
PROTECT CHILDREN AND FAMILIES AT RISK.
No one should be trapped indefinitely without protection or a safe way out.
Please sign and share this petition.
Protection must mean more than a registration number.
Freedom cannot wait. Human lives cannot wait.
Sources
https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/07/02/libya-anti-migrant-rhetoric-fuels-abuses
17.904
Il problema
Free the Refugees Detained in Libya and Protect Semira’s Daughter
To UNHCR, the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union NGO and civil society , governments with the power to provide protection and safe humanitarian pathways:
Refugees flee their homes in search of freedom and safety. Eritreans have escaped persecution, indefinite military conscription, and insecurity. Some sought refuge in Sudan, only to be forced to flee again because of war.
Today, many are trapped in Libya.
Instead of finding lasting protection, refugees and asylum seekers both registered with UNHCR and unregistered continue to face detention, violence, uncertainty, and increasingly hostile conditions.
Registration should not become a waiting room without safety.
Being registered does not necessarily mean immediate safety, freedom from detention, or a timely pathway out of Libya. Meanwhile, unregistered refugees may face even greater barriers to protection because they cannot safely access registration or humanitarian services.
Filmon's Story
Filmon was only 18 years old. He fled Eritrea hoping to find safety and a future. Instead, according to a recent report and testimony from fellow detainees, he died while detained at Ganfuda, near Benghazi in eastern Libya.
Filmon reportedly became seriously ill with tuberculosis and did not receive the medical care he desperately needed.He died in detention.
There are approximately 6,000 people in Bingasi. Since we are in closer contact with the Eritrean community, we know that around 1,200 people were involved. On August 18, they asked to receive food and medical care, but the police responded with gunfire. Many people were injured.
We have videos documenting what happened, but we are currently unable to show them. After the shooting, the injured people did not receive any medical treatment.
In Tajoura, there are approximately 7,000 people, most of them Eritreans. The majority were either arrested during raids or intercepted at sea. Very little information is coming out of Tajoura, but people who have spoken to us have reported that there are many deaths and injuries.
Libya Is Not a Safe Place to Wait Indefinitely
refugees face danger both inside and outside detention centres.
Recent anti-migrant rhetoric and public protests have increased tensions and fear as the UNHCR office was blocked by Libyan protesters who were demonstrating against migrants.
They are trapped between two dangers:
If they remain, they may face detention, violence, exploitation, and insecurity.
And when refugees attempting to escape are intercepted and returned to Libya, many are brought back to the same dangers they were desperately trying to escape.
Libya must not become a prison with no exit.
Preventing people from reaching Europe cannot be the only objective. Saving lives and providing genuine protection must matter too.
We Demand Freedom and Meaningful Protection
We urgently call on the international community to:
Work toward the urgent release of refugees and asylum seekers held in arbitrary and prolonged detention.
Ensure meaningful protection for both registered and unregistered.
Provide humanitarian organizations access to detainees and ensure urgent food, water, medical care, and protection.
Prioritize women, children, unaccompanied minors, survivors of violence, and people with urgent medical needs.
Expand emergency evacuation, resettlement, family reunification, and other safe pathways outside Libya.
Protection must mean more than a registration number.
It must mean safety, freedom, and a genuine path toward a future.
Protect Semira's Daughter
On August 3, 2026, an Eritrean mother named Semira reportedly lost her life at sea while trying to reach safety with her daughter.
Semira had fled Eritrea and later sought refuge in Sudan. When war made Sudan unsafe, she was forced to flee again.
According to the information available to us, Semira was later detained in Libya and eventually registered with UNHCR together with her daughter. Yet registration did not provide them with a timely path to lasting safety.
Unable to find a safe way out, Semira continued to face danger.
During her final attempt to leave Libya by sea, her daughter survived. Semira did not.
Today, her daughter remains without her mother in Libya. Her mother died searching for safety. Her daughter must not be left behind.
This child has already lost her mother. She must not be left alone, unprotected, or trapped in the same danger her mother was trying to escape.
We urgently call for:
The immediate identification and protection of Semira's daughter.
Safe accommodation, appropriate care, and legal guardianship.
Protection from detention, exploitation, and further harm.
An urgent humanitarian transfer to a safe environment outside Libya, in accordance with her best interests.
OUR DEMANDS ARE CLEAR
FREE MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES DETAINED IN LIBYA.
PROTECT ALL MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES.
PROVIDE SAFE AND URGENT HUMANITARIAN PATHWAYS OUT OF LIBYA.
PROTECT CHILDREN AND FAMILIES AT RISK.
No one should be trapped indefinitely without protection or a safe way out.
Please sign and share this petition.
Protection must mean more than a registration number.
Freedom cannot wait. Human lives cannot wait.
Sources
https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/07/02/libya-anti-migrant-rhetoric-fuels-abuses
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Petizione creata in data 28 agosto 2026